Dublin via Chester and Wales



Chester - The Rows

Welsh Farmland

Welsh Countryside

The Longest Place Name (Wales)

We bade Ambeside and our wonderful B&B hosts goodbye around 9.30am. Wanted to get  on the road so that we could beat the traffic to Chester. This was a good idea as the traffic was building up all day as it was the end of the Bank Holiday Weekend. Had a picturesque drive back through Windemere around the lake and then joined M6 the main highway that splits Manchester and Liverpool. Turned off this road and we were in Chester just after midday. We were fortunate to be able to book into our accommodation straight away.

Set out to explore Chester as soon as we could. A lot of Chester dates back to the Romans and the old town is circled by a wall. We walked most of the wall through town to the riverside and back past Chester Castle. It was time then to explore the shops. Some of these, called The Rows have shops situated above one another which are accessible by staircases from the street. It was a very picturesque shopping area filled with old world charm. Eileen did her mandatory shopping so that her suitcase will be even fuller than previously. Had a few drinks and dinner in an old fashioned pub and then caught a cab back to the hotel.

We were back on the road again this morning early as we had a ferry to catch at Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesea. We drove through Snowdonia National Park in Northern Wales which is lush and green. The weather was a bit dismal as it was cool with misting rain and fog. Still, the scenery was lovely. Crossed the Menai Strait onto Anglesey and stopped at the village with the longest name in the world.

Made it in good time for the ferry and we loaded the car on and have retired to the lounge for the crossing to Dublin. Have had our lunch and am writing this an hour into our 3 hour journey.

Well we reached Dublin safely and found our hotel without the aid of the GPS as it had no maps of Ireland loaded. We have been out for the customary drinks at an Irish Pub just down the road. Had dinner at the hotel and it was excellent.  Have had to familiarize ourselves with a new currency and are now dealing with Euros instead of pounds

Goodbye Bonny Scotland - Hello Beautiful Lakes District

Stirling Castle

William Wallace Memorial Stirling

Lockerbie Garden Of Rememberance - Air Disaster

Ambleside Pier

Left Nairn early on Friday and decided to stop at the Falkirk Wheel. This is another method (other than locks) of joining canals – in this case the Union canal to the Clyde Canal. It was very impressive and we watched a boat use the wheel.

Had a stop in Wishaw to visit Eileen’s older sister Janette’s grave. Had done some prior research so had a plot number and managed to find it with the help of a worker. Glad to have made the effort. Drove through Motherwell and Overten where Eileen’s Mum had grown up. Nearly visited Glasgow but this was because we had taken a wrong turn.

Next stop was at Lockerbie where we visited the memorial for the air disaster. It was made more poignant as we heard on the news that the mastermind who was let out of prison because he only had 4 months to live is still alive 2 years later.

Our next stop was Ambleside a pretty little town in the middle of the Lakes District. We are staying in a B&B here for 3 nights. The owner is a real character with a great sense of humour and he and his wife have made us feel very welcome. We have enjoyed our stay. We miscalculated slightly and our visit is during the Bank Holiday weekend when the area is as busy as Blackpool. They get 12 million visitors a year in the district. The scenery around the lakes is really beautiful and a small photograph really doesn’t do it justice.

Yesterday (Saturday) we went on a cruise from Ambleside to Bowness on Lake Windemere. Bowness was unbelievably busy – every man and his dog were there. I’m not just using the saying - that was what it was like. There were a lot of people with their dogs. They even allow them on the boat.

Today (Sunday) we went for a bus trip to Grasmere a town to the north and then went back through Ambleside to Windemere in the south. The traffic on the road today was bumper to bumper. It was nice to have a look around the district.

The Highlands and the Lochs



Loch Ness

Urqhuart Castle on Loch Ness

The Highlands

Friday 6.30am



Left Nairn early as we had a big day ahead. Drove back through Inverness and this time found the riverfront we were looking for yesterday to have lunch. Naturally it had some lovely eating places with nice views. Much better than the shopping centre where we ate. We then headed south along Loch Ness – the road winds along beside it and it is a very picturesque drive. We stopped at the Loch Ness Centre and were less than impressed with what was there. Mainly gift shops and a film on the search for Nessie.

Had coffee at Fort Augustus which has 5 man-made locks which are part of the Caledonian Canal. The Caledonian Canal links the east coast of Scotland at Inverness with the west coast of Scotland near Fort William. Watched the boats go through the locks from Loch Ness to Loch Lochy. They move 1 million tons of water in 5 minutes.

We continued criss-crossing the waterways to Fort William at the base of Ben Nevis, Scotland’s tallest mountain.  Stopped on the way at the Glencoe Visitor Centre and were once again unimpressed however the view was stunning and the scenery was spectacular on the rest of the drive.

Reached Stirling at about 6pm. We had only travelled 200 miles but it takes a lot longer than the equivalent distance in Australia.  Off to the Lakes District in England today.

Northern Scotland

Cawdor Castle

Culloden Moor Battlefield

Kessock Bridge Inverness

It was nice this morning not to have to pack the cases into the car. Set off around 9.30am for a short drive to Cawdor Castle home of Campbell of Cawdor. It is the current home of the Dowager Countess of Cawdor who lives in the castle but moves to the Dower House each summer so that the castle can be open. The castle has lovely gardens which you are able to walk around and you can also tour many rooms inside the castle. The castle dates back to the 1400s and as such it is not a cosy place to live. Lots of awkward staircases, low doorways and it looked hard to heat. None of us hankered to live there.

Our next stop was Clava Cains an ancient burial site from the Bronze Age. Really just rocks formed into large graves but we heard some Americans say it was not unlike Stonehenge. Hit the road again and were at Culloden Moors Battlefield before we knew it. The men walked the battlefield while the ladies walked the gift shop.

It was a short trip then to Inverness where we had lunch and a quick look around. Decided we needed some time out from sightseeing so headed back at about 3.30pm to our lodgings in Nairn for a lazy afternoon.

We have a big day ahead tomorrow as we travel south to Stirling.

The Highlands - Nairn

Glenfiddich Distillery

4 People and All this Luggage in a Citreon 4??

The North Sea at Nairn

Had a lovely night in Aberdeen staying at the Hilton Garden Inn (the best hotel so far). Went shopping after breakfast  for a couple of hours  but did not buy anything.

Set out for Nairn which is near Inverness.  Reached Dufftown and turned off for a visit to the Glenfiddich Distillery.  Had a tour of the distillery which was a very professional operation. There were tour guides who spoke Spanish, German, French and Italian. Were very impressed at the explanation of the process to make the whisky and had a nose (smell) of whisky in different years of maturation with the oldest being one that was 37 years in the cask. A good end to the tour was a tasting of 12, 15 and 18 year old Glenfiddach. Realised how ripped off we are in Australia as the 18 year old is £35 (AUD  60) where as in Australia I think it’s about $100.

It is interesting seeing the difference between the vegetation in the lowlands (farmland) and the highlands (very alpine like).  The farm country is absolutely beautiful, so lush and green.  Actually it is harvest time for barley, wheat and other winter crops.  Farm machinery appears to have right of way on the roads and we have encountered many tractors and harvesters on the road.  They cause a long line of traffic in many cases.  The cattle and sheep are very well fed because of the beautiful pastures and all the hay that is baled immediately after the harvest.

Currently sitting in our lodgings looking out the window at the North Sea – very placid at the moment. Had a walk along the seafront last night and it is a lovely spot.

Off to Inverness, Cawdor Castle and Culloden Battlefield today. We have another night here in Nairn.

The Low Road and the High Road (Scotland)

Phil and Dave at St Andrews Golf Club

The Gates at Balmoral

We bade a fond farewell to Edinburgh after our busy 2 days there. It is another place we are glad we visited and would like to visit again one day.  Proceeded across the Forth Bridge over the Firth of the Forth and made our way through County Fife to St Andrews. We stopped there for morning tea and browsed in a couple of the shops. After this we headed to the Royal and Ancient and Links golf courses to take more photos of us pretending to belong in places. Saw the university where Prince William and Catherine met (William graduated in 2005).

We crossed the Firth of Tay into Dundee. From there, we wound our way through the lowlands stopping for lunch at a little bakery in the small village of Coupar Angus.  It was a very cheap lunch indeed.

Set off again this time up into the hills passing through snow country (luckily no snow at the moment) to Braemar, home of the Highland Games.  The Scottish countryside is really lovely – parts of it pretty and green and parts of it (the highlands) stark and majestic.

Journeyed on to Balmoral to continue our stalking of the Royal Family as the Queen is currently in residence there. Could see the castle from the road but there are signs forbidding you from stopping to take photos, so no photo of Balmoral Castle for us. There is a parking area near the gates so we took photos of us standing at the gates. There is also a gift shop. Had a chat to a nice policeman on duty at the gates. He usually works at Buckingham Palace and he was commenting on how nice the weather is this time of year. He was previously there in January with Prince Charles and it was -14. While we were there a number of cars went in through the gates but we couldn’t make out if it was anyone Royal.  Saw the church where the Royals go at Christmas at Crathie.

Our next stop was Aberdeen where we are staying for the night. We managed to in to the hotel before 5.30pm. Our last 2 nights we have been quite late in arriving at our destination so it is nice to have a little time up our sleeve.

Off to Nairn tomorrow through whisky distillery country

Edinburgh Day 2 - Rule Britannia

E&P on the Britannia

Sitting Room Royal Yacht

Edinburgh Skyline

After the late night we had, we slept till 8.50am this morning. Phil was in shock as neither of us had stirred during the night. Consequently we had a later start to the morning than we had planned. Decided to go on the Hop On Hop Off Bus. We purchased a ticket that included transport to the Royal Yacht Britannia at Leith so that we could take the tour of the Royal Yacht. It was fantastic. We saw the Queen’s and the Duke of Edinburgh’s bedrooms and offices, the honeymoon suite where Charles and Diana stayed, the dining room where the Royal family dined and the sitting room where they played cards and games (no TVs in evidence).

We had lunch in the Royal Deck Tea Room so we can now say we have dined on the Britannia. We felt the tour was a real highlight for us and were glad we had made an effort to do it.

Caught the bus back to the city centre and got on another bus that had live commentary. We toured around the “old” town and the “new” town and heard a lot of the history of Edinburgh. Cannot believe how many pubs there are here and they were all overflowing. Some serious drinking going on.

York and Edinburgh

Thw Walled City of York

The Wheatsheaf, Corbridge Northumberland

The Royal Military Tattoo, Edinburgh

Left York around 10am so that we didn’t repeat arriving as late in Edinburgh as in York. Decided to get off the A1 and meandered across country on the A68 through the beautiful countryside in the counties of Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland. We had lunch in a typical English Pub in Corbridge Nothumberland. At this stage we were only 99 miles to Edinburgh, but we wanted to see Alnwick Castle also in Northumberland, so veered right and headed for Alnwick which was about an hour away towards the coast. Once there we were still 94 miles from Edinburgh. Had our photo stop at the castle and then set out in earnest for Edinburgh. From Alnwick to Edinburgh the road follows the coast and the Firth of the Forth into Edinburgh.

Arrived in Edinburgh at about 6.15pm and it then took 30mins to go about 2 kms. There were so many buses and so many pedestrians. Finally arrived at The George where we were staying to find that our Tattoo tickets had been delivered (this had been a worry for us) but there was no reservation for our friends Dave and Jill. A saga unfolded where the Scottish affiliate to our tour company informed them that they were booked at another hotel. Ridiculous as the bookings were made together. They got a room but further correspondence with some travel companies will ensue.

Anyway we decided not to dwell on the drama and headed out for dinner. After dinner and a few bracing drinks we started the long climb up to the castle for the 10.30pm performance of the Tattoo. Can’t say there was too much information on where to go and not a lot of signage. Anyway the climb wasn’t as bad as I had feared (maybe the gym has helped). Found our seats and thoroughly enjoyed the Tattoo. Found the finale very moving with Scotland the Brave and Auld Lang Syne bringing back memories of my Mum and Dad.

We then headed back down the hill to the hotel and got to bed at 12.45am.

York (Day 5)

Picturesque Cambridge

Kings College Cambridge

After 3 fantastic days in London we left regretfully hoping to be able to return one day.  Travelled back to Heathrow by private transfer to pick up our hire car. The car was a Citroen C4 Picasso Estarata and on first sight Jill and I practically had kittens. We thought there was no way we would fit all our luggage and ourselves in that car. Hummed and hawed over whether we should upgrade but were quoted £500 to upgrade so rethought and decide we would give it a shot.

Set out for Cambridge and were there in no time without too much traffic. Used the park and ride from Trumpington (1 of the 5 park and rides available). Were dropped off in the middle of Cambridge and then went on a Hop off Hop off bus to tour the town. We thought Cambridge was very pretty.

Left Cambridge at 2pm for a drive to York of 166 miles (266 km).  Thought this would take us 3 hours maximum. Well it took over 4 ½ hours. The traffic was horrendous and of course when we got to  York it’s a 3 day racing carnival so the traffic there  was at a standstill. To cap the day off our hotel had no lift, no car park, no fridge and no safe.  Then to add insult to injury the air con wasn’t working.  The air con issue was resolved.

We went out for a short walk on the wall and then had a few drinks in the bar. Had dinner in the Hotel as the pubs were full of drunken revellers après races and didn’t want any trouble.  York is at home to Telford tomorrow so a very sporty weekend for York. They are expecting approx. 60,000 visitors this weekend.

Off to Edinburgh tomorrow and it is a further distance so we have vowed to get an earlier start so that if there is traffic we are there in good time to prepare for the Tattoo.

Our Visit to Buckingham Palace

Phil and Eileen at the Palace Gates

The Queen's Backyard

The Glass Coach

London 5pm Thursday

We had tickets today for a tour of Buckingham Palace State Rooms and the Royal Mews. Decided to get a London Cab as for the 4 of us it worked out cheaper than the bus. Would have been £8.80 on the bus but was £6 by cab.

Had planned to visit the Royal Mews (where the horses, carriages and cars are kept) but encountered a slight hiccup as I had not printed both vouchers. Fortunately the voucher I had printed was for the State Rooms so at least we had them. Rang the tour company and then headed for an Internet Café to access my Hotmail and print out the voucher. Luckily this worked out.

Did the tour of the State Rooms (the place was packed) and it was fantastic to be inside Buckingham Palace. The tour included the Blue Drawing Room where Prince Charles and Prince William were christened.  Saw some of the Queen’s art collection – a lot of these being paintings of her relatives. Also saw the Queen’s Faberge collection. Then we saw “the dress”, the tiara and veil, Catherine’s earrings (very nice indeed – her parents did well there), her shoes and the wedding cake.  We were really glad we had got tickets as it was a tour well worth doing. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos inside the palace. We exited via the gardens which were  beautiful.

Next we went to the Royal Mews where we saw many of the carriages used by the Royals. Saw the car that took Catherine Middleton to Westminster Abbey. Saw the glass coach that took Diana to St Pauls.  Also saw the Gold Coach which is used to take monarchs to their coronations.

It was raining when we had finished but we walked down the Mall on the way back to the hotel and then cut through St James Park. We were very tired by the time we got back here and have had to put our feet up for a while.

Tomorrow we pick up the hire car at Heathrow and drive to York.

We Still Have Our Heads

Tower Bridge

Traitor's Gate Tower of London

Set out this morning on the bus to the ferry stop for a cruise up the river to the Tower of London. Had a close up view of the London Eye which they say makes £250,000 per day. Locals have dubbed it the “Wheel of Fortune”.  Had a different view of the Houses of Parliament and the Clock of Westminster aka Big Ben. We went under some of the many bridges (Westminster, Waterloo, Blackfriars) and had a lovely view of the Tower Bridge. The cruise was part of our Hop on Hop Off Deal (which lasts 24 hrs from when you start). We were fortunate as there was informal commentary by the boat crew.

We spent two and a half hours at the Tower of London.  A Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) gave us a tour and shared a lot of the history of the Tower. We think of it only as a dungeon where in reality it was once the home of Kings and Queens. We visited the chapel where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey are buried. We also saw the Crown Jewels which is really only the ceremonial regalia such as crowns, orbs and swords. Mind you there were a lot of lovely gemstones - diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires that I would have loved. There were also a couple of seriously impressive diamonds attached to the crowns.  I particularly admired the Kooh i Noor diamond which is on the crown of the Queen Consort. Caught the tube back to Westminster (4 stops) and were charged £4 each for the privilege. Buses are much cheaper however they are often slow because of traffic congestion. We walked back to our hotel via Westminster Abbey. The sun finally came out during this walk and we were hot by the time we got back.

Decided to do some washing at the local laundrette and had a lovely time there chatting to the manager and some of the patrons. Have found most people friendly and helpful. The scariest part of London so far is crossing the road as pedestrians seem to have no rights.

By the time we got back to the hotel Jill and Dave had arrived from Australia. Gave them time to freshen up and then ventured out in the rain to try another pub. This time the Westminster where the beer was cold, the pizza good and the hot and spicy chicken wings were really hot!!!



London Day 2 - On the Buses

Queen's (Mother's) Gate Hyde Park

Belgravia - Margaret Thatcher's St

London Cabs Have Gone Technicolour

Houses of Parliament From Lambeth Bridge

Today has been a very full day. Started the day with a full English breakfast with coffee for £3.95 (great value and delicious) at a café down the road. Then headed off via bus to Piccadilly Circus to start our Hop On Hop Off Tour.

We went on the Yellow tour which has live commentary first. This tour lasted about 2 hours and was extremely interesting. Think it probably is the tour to do if you only have time for one. Our tour took us past Trafalgar Square (by the end of the day we had seen it many times as I think all the buses go there), St James’ Palace, Hyde Park, the side of Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, St Pauls and the Tower of London just to name a few. We then got on the Blue tour that took us to Kensington and Knightsbridge.

We got off at Harrods and braved the crowds to have a look around. Naturally Phil couldn’t wait to get out of the place. Still we persevered and I managed to make a purchase - a tin of tea leaves with Harrods on it. Can always fill it up with the Bushells Tea we normally have.

Had a tiny walk through Hyde Park then back to Piccadilly via the Red tour to make our way back to the hotel via the yellow tour once again. There is a stop just at the end of the road which is very convenient.

Have been out for dinner and a couple of not so cold pints at a typical English Pub (the Marquis of Granby) just down the road. The pub was full of civil servants there for after work drinks. Food was quite a reasonable price and the drinks similar to home.  At the end we ended up talking to some people from Vancouver.

Tomorrow we do a tour of the Tower of London and will try braving the crowds to shop in Oxford St.

We Have Arrived In London

Tuesday 16 August 6.25am GMT

Arrived in London at 4pm yesterday after a great trip with Malaysia Airlines. It was worth the money. As we were descending, we were very excited as you are directly over central London and are able to see many of the famous landmarks and the bridges over the river Thames.

We had arranged for a driver to meet us and it only took about half an hour for us to get to the hotel. We were surprised as the traffic seemed to be no worse than in Sydney and Brisbane at that time of day. We are sure this will not always be the case. On our way we came through some of the upmarket suburbs like Kensington and Knightsbridge and the famous Earls Court. The city looks very picturesque when you come through these suburbs.

Booked into our hotel and our room is pretty good for the money we paid. It is clean and a reasonable size for London. We went out for a quick walk to find a convenience store and check out the surrounding neighbourhood. We then went back to the hotel, had our sandwich, a shower and were in bed by 7.30pm GMT (4.30am EST).

 Have had a good night’s sleep and will be off on the Hop On Hop Off Bus today to get our bearings direction wise and do a little sightseeing.